


Remembrance

by firstblade-deathdancer (subtextismygod)



Category: The Young Elites Series - Marie Lu
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, dont mind my self-indulgent fix-its, its basically all the same except enzo and raffaele are very much in love, mostly just small stories of my favorite two elites
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:14:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29051967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtextismygod/pseuds/firstblade-deathdancer
Summary: I've noticed a severe lack of Marie Lu fanfiction so I figured I could remedy that. Here's my contributions to our humble fandom:The Young Elites, but what if Enzo and Raffaele were already together?Essentially an alternate canon where the two are already together and they deal with Adelina and Teren and Guilietta all together. Set in Raffaele's POV. Short chapters, mostly centered around big moments in their relationship or the external plot.
Relationships: Raffaele Laurent Bessette/Enzo Valenciano
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. The Untold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter is set after Adelina's test and her arrival to the Dagger Society and Fortunata Court.
> 
> Enjoy!

“You look tired,” Enzo said as Raffaele opened the door to his room following the prince’s quiet knock. “Are you all right?” 

Raffaele calmly replied that he was fine, keeping a tight rein on the joy he felt by just seeing Enzo. Although he was exhausted from Adelina’s test, his spirits were easily lifted whenever Enzo was with him. There was a sense of safety, of stability, that came with Enzo, a sense that Raffaele gladly basked in.

Quickly, he recounted Adelina’s test, pulling him into his room with a careful glance around to see if Adelina was around the corner, and closing the door behind him. “Fear and Fury,” Enzo said thoughtfully. “Well. That’s a first.”

“I don’t trust her,” Raffaele said to him. “I’ve never seen someone align with Fear and Fury so strongly. Every single one of her memories was laced with darkness. Something is  _ very wrong  _ with her.” If it had been a few years earlier, saying that would have made Raffaele feel horrible, judging someone’s worth so harshly, without regret. But things changed. He changed. And, in his mind, judging someone’s worth in the most brutally honest way was the best way he could protect the Daggers. Protect Enzo.

Enzo had a look to him, something about him that was off, misaligned from his axis. Raffaele knew that the Tamouran girl reminded him of Daphne, the bond that they had shared. Her arrival had shaken him, dredged up feelings Enzo probably had forgotten he had. After she had died, Raffaele had been the only person who could pull him from his pit of darkness and hate that had begun to fester. “You’re afraid of her,” the prince finally said. 

It wasn’t often that Raffaele could say that he was afraid of someone, but Adelina’s powers, the root that they had taken in her mind, it did, in fact, scare him. The fact that her powers hadn’t manifested until now concerned him. It meant that there had been some reason, some factor in her life that kept her from reaching her true potential. And it may have driven her mad. 

“I’m afraid of what she could do to us. The Daggers.” He took Enzo’s hand, his calluses and scars feeling rough and familiar against his smooth and soft skin. “As long as you can control her, she could be an asset to us. But as soon as she realizes she could be more powerful on her own…” He didn’t want to dwell on what could happen if she unleashed herself on them. 

Enzo softly lifted Raffaele’s chin to meet his mismatched eyes, honey and emerald meeting dark scarlet. “Do you trust me?” His voice was softer than it had been before, as if just the contact with Raffaele calmed him. 

There was no hesitation at all when he replied. “Yes,” he said instantly, seeing the fire in Enzo’s eyes burning in a soft flame meant only for him. A heartbeat later, and a voice so much quieter, he added, “with all of my heart.” 

His gaze almost seemed to break for a moment, Enzo’s heart skipping a beat as he leaned forward, gently resting his forehead against Raffaele’s. Raffaele’s eyes fluttered closed on instinct, basking in the moment that lay between them, for them, only them. He basked in the feeling as Enzo wrapped his arms around Raffaele’s waist and brought him even closer, in a manner so different from the harsh passion of most of his clients. This, the gentleness, so heartbreakingly calm and languid, it was the difference between desire and love. And, a moment later, he felt Enzo’s lips press against his is a light brush of a kiss, like they had forever to be like this, together. Raffaele felt a soft surge of pleasure from Enzo, the only reminder he had that Enzo only let down his walls with Raffaele. Just the same as the only person that Raffaele wouldn’t use his powers in was Enzo.

His eyes remained closed, breathing in the smell of the Reaper. “She stays, for now,” Enzo said. “But, I  _ swear  _ to you, Raffaele, if she shows any sign of betraying us, I will not hesitate to get rid of her. If you feel anything off about her, tell me. I trust you.” 

Of course, he added nothing else on. It was the basic fact of their relationship, their secret kisses and shared looks. Raffaele loved Enzo like he had loved no one else. Yet, for Enzo, it was nowhere near as deeply felt, the heavy weight in his chest that pulled him ro Raffaele was muted, quiet. It was the simplest of truths, that Raffaele cared more. And that broke his heart sometimes, knowing that more was a distant fantasy. “I want you to train her,” Enzo continued, completely unaware of the turmoil that had begun to gnaw at Raffaele. “I want her to trust you, completely.” 

The prince’s hand came up to cup Raffaele’s cheek, brushing away strands of hair as he rubbed his thumb against his jawline. With a fluttering breath, Raffaele leaned into it ever so slightly, relishing the warmth of Enzo’s hand. As Enzo removed his hand, it displaced Raffaele’s carefully done braid, revealing a sliver of the large bruise forming around his throat. 

Enzo’s gaze went positively murderous. “Who did this to you,” he asked flatly, fury radiating off him in waves of energy that shocked Raffaele. There was an undertone of something else, though, something he couldn’t identify quite yet. 

Had it been any other time, had it not been Enzo asking, Raffaele would not have spoken. The Elites got a bad enough reputation as it was. A seemingly unprompted attack on a wealthy aristocrat of Kenettra would certainly tarnish their reputation further. But, there was something about Enzo defending him that made Raffaele not care about what the world thought. Like it was only them in the world, only them that mattered. 

He met Enzo’s gaze, felt the heat that was radiating from him. “Count Maurizio Saldana,” he said. The expression on Enzo’s face was nothing short of vengeful, something he almost never was, even in the case of Teren or Guilietta. Now, it had become personal for him. He pressed his lips to Raffaele’s forehead, gently passing his finger over the consort’s lips as if remembering the kiss they had shared moments before. 

“Don’t keep secrets from me,” he said, the hard edge to his voice becoming softened when he spoke to Raffaele, betraying the worry he felt. There was the other emotion, Raffaele realized, the underlying energy he couldn’t make out under the mask of rage. Worry. Genuine, terrified worry for Raffaele’s wellbeing. 

As Enzo stormed off, pulling his hood over his head and his mask over his face, Raffaele sat on his soft bed, wondering if he had been wrong about Enzo. Maybe he had been wrong in thinking that he didn’t care as much. Maybe, he pondered, Enzo showed it in a different way. Not in the soft and calm waves of dedication that Raffaele had. No, not that. Enzo was all fire and passion and ambition. He defended. He defended the Daggers. He defended  _ Raffaele _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated, thank you for the support!


	2. The Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enzo asks Raffaele to cross a line for him.
> 
> Enjoy!

The prince was troubled, Raffaele could tell. There was a hunch to his shoulders, a darkness in his eyes that betrayed his inner turmoil. He sat on the edge of Raffaele’s bed, back hunched and his arms resting folded on his legs. It was early morning, but that didn’t stop Enzo from walking in with a hard frown and pulling Raffaele into his arms. 

He hadn’t talked yet, about what was keeping him awake, but Raffaele would sit with him for however long it took for him to open up. After almost an hour of silence, Enzo finally spoke up, his voice weak. “Use your powers on me,” he said, sounding terribly broken. “Please.” 

Though he hadn’t really known what to expect, this was not it. He drew a hard line with Enzo, marking him as the only person on which he would never use his powers. The only person who he would never use. “Why?” he only asked, kneeling down in front of him and looking up into his eyes, taking both of his hands in his. 

Enzo remained quiet for a moment, as if wondering if he should really say what he wanted to say. “Your clients,” he finally said. “They all love you. Every time, I can believe you love them back.” 

It really hit Raffaele, the full implications of what Enzo said. Jealousy. Raffaele knew that he only loved one person, ever really would love one person. Enzo. He never expected Enzo to feel the same way. 

“I want to feel what it’s like. I want to feel  _ you _ .” His voice broke at the last word, his red eyes almost looking glassy with tears as he looked at Raffaele desperately. 

He had drawn the line for Enzo. He would cross it for the same reason. 

Carefully, he reached out with his energy, seeing the colorful strands before him before he singled out Enzo, the energy that made him  _ him. _ With a gentle touch he used with no one else, he lightly tugged on his heartstrings, brushing against them with his own energy. With a gasp, Enzo’s eyes shot wide open. The expression within them was something Raffaele had never even felt before, something that was so purely blissful that he envied it for a moment. 

He pulled away for a moment, rubbing Enzo’s hands gently with his thumb. “Why were you jealous?” he asked Enzo softly, entwining their fingers. 

“They all love you,” he said again. “You looked like you loved them.” He paused, swallowing softly. “I… I love you.” Raffaele’s heart stopped. “I was afraid that I was like them. Just another night. Just another person.” It never truly was something that he understood, that behind the mask of the ruthless, cruel prince, Enzo had had everything taken from him. He was uncertain, he was unsure, and he was afraid of who he could become. 

“I follow you for a reason, Enzo,” Raffaele said, making sure that Enzo saw him, saw what he was saying as the truth. “I follow you because, if you are on the throne, I can step away from this life.” He hadn’t chosen this. He had sold himself for money so his mother could eat. “I have no freedom over who I give my body to. I lost that as soon as I sold myself for ten gold coins. But I have freedom over who I give my heart to.” Enzo blinked, as if he was beginning to understand what he was saying. “My heart has always belonged to you, Enzo. It always will. I follow you because, if we win, I will have the freedom to give all of myself to you. I follow you because I love you.”

The prince took a shaking breath. But Raffaele wasn’t done. He rose from his kneeling position and sat on the bed next to Enzo. He took Enzo’s face in both of his hands and brought him towards him for a gentle kiss. At the same moment their lips touched, he pulled on Enzo’s heartstrings. He made sure Enzo knew, made sure that he was aware of Raffaele causing the surge of desire that rose in him, and that he knew that he still had a choice. 

“I do this work so that you can take your place on the throne,” he said once he pulled away. “I manipulate and hypnotize. I make them believe I love them. I only have one heart to give, Enzo.” He placed one of his hands directly over Enzo’s heart, feeling the rapid beat of it match the pace of his own. “It has always been yours.” 

Enzo almost looked like he didn’t believe it. Like he thought it was something he told all of his clients. Maybe it was apt, that the man who could control fire was afraid to play with it. The man who was full of the warmth and comfort of the flames felt farthest from it.

He leaned against Enzo and wrapped his arms around him. This time, it wasn’t a kiss. A kiss wasn’t right, it wasn’t intimate enough. Raffaele gave kisses away each night. Being close, being together, that was more intimate than anything else. Because time, that was the only thing Raffaele had to give. And he gave it all to Enzo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the people who've read this and left kudos and comments, I really appreciate it! Sorry for not uploading on this, I completely forgot about it since I wasn't getting many notifs about it. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading and as always, please be sure to let me know if you enjoyed reading. 
> 
> If you want to connect with me, my Tumblr is the @firstblade-deathdancer and I'm always willing to chat.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I'll try and upload new chapters every week or two.


End file.
